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About this project

Hey, thanks for checking out our project. With your help, we're looking to build sandals right here in the US and get them out on some feet.

All we're trying to do with Vere Sandal Company, USA is change the whole paradigm of how we think about manufacturing in our industry. So not that much, really... The idea came from years of watching sandals and footwear being made in overseas facilities, and not accepting that it couldn't be done here. We want to make sandals that are the best fitting, most comfortable, best quality sandals available. We want to prove that we can make them in the US, and bring back an industry that's spent the last 30 years leaving the country.

We strive to use recycled and recyclable materials whenever possible. We're sourcing as many of our raw materials domestically as we can, and we hope to source them all in the US before long. Our entire process is set up to eliminate nearly all the waste from traditional production. We're taking a fresh look at how sandals are produced - we're not limited by "how it's always been done" and we're free to set up the system from the bottom-up to be more efficient, more consistent, and more responsible.

So here's where YOU come in. We have the equipment and we have the orders from some of the best surf and outdoor retailers in the country. The money raised from Kickstarter will help us cover the cost of production for our 2011 product launch.

We believe in the power of community, and Kickstarter gives us all an opportunity to show that there's no good reason to send all our sandal production overseas. We know how to make sandals - we've been doing it for a long time for large and small brands - and we think we can cut through the corporate red tape and make them here, and make them better.

By pledging at least $25 and getting a pair of our webbing-strap sandals, or at least $50 and getting one of our leather sandals, you're helping make our domestic production a reality. By pledging at the personalized levels you're getting a customized sandal engraved with your name, and there are multiple levels of premium rewards including a custom-shaped surfboard and the opportunity to name our next sandal style.

With your support we're planning on having all sandals ready to ship in late spring, just in time for the good weather and spring break. Thank you!

MEN

Don

Louie

Al

WOMEN

Betty

Angie

Barb

Josie

FAQ

We are going to build all of our sandals by style, and they'll be shipped out when each style is done. We have sixteen style/color combinations, so we'll be building all of the Black Don, for instance, before moving on to the Brown Don, and so forth. The retail orders will go out as the full order is complete, but the backer orders will go out as the individual styles are built."

This was a big decision we had to make as delays in production pushed us out in to Spring 2012. We had commitments to some retailers that were made prior to this Kickstarter project. We lost a good amount of business in spite of the delays we experienced throughout the start of production. The sandal business is seasonal. We either deliver within the small window in front of the season or we wait until the following year. A young company can not afford to miss those windows if it wants to stay alive. In the best interest of the business, our investors and the backers who wish to see us succeed, we decided to roll our sandals out simultaneously by style with the retailers. This way we have the cash flow to fulfill ALL backers and sustain as a business beyond our first season.

We have been working pretty hard at getting out as much as we can with what we have to work with. Sandals are going out, not at the pace we all wish, but they are going out.

We are staying consistent with what we have always said from the beginning (see FAQ #2), and retailers aren't getting a style / color unless they have started going out to backers.

The main reason is that the Vere Sandal Company is in the factory making their own sandals. While some companies hire their manufacturing out to a factory in a faraway distant place on the other side of the world and trust someone they may have never met to control that quality, we have eliminated all that distance and can make sure our product is made with the quality we intended from the start. We know we are behind the anticipated timeframe and we are doing our best to make up some time in the factory.

We also know that the only thing most of you want to know is ship date. Once we get comfortable with an estimated date we will put it out there immediately. (See FAQ #1)

Pledge $50 or more

A pair of our premium leather sandals - Al or Josie - in your choice of leather color and size.

You selected

Pledge $75 or more

51 backers

A personalized pair of the Al or Josie premium leather sandals, in your choice of leather color and size, laser etched with your name, nickname, or custom message. Let's keep the messages clean, huh? Al and Josie are watching...

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Pledge $100 or more

102 backers

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO - can't decide between the stylish woven sandal and the premium leather sandal? Who says you need to choose? Get a pair of each, and we'll even personalize one of them for you.

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Pledge $125 or more

12 backers
Limited (13 left of 25)

Keep your khakis clean with a sweet pair of Vere Sandal Company coveralls, your choice of size, personalized with your name above the right pocket. As sported by Mike and John in the video. PLUS a customized pair of any of our woven sandals - style, color, and size of your choice.

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Pledge $150 or more

24 backers
Limited (1 left of 25)

Do your dirty work in style and luxury. Same sweet customized pair of Vere Sandal Company coveralls, with your name over the right pocket, as shown off by Mike and John in the video, plus a pair of our LEATHER sandals - Josie or Al - personalized with your name, nickname, or message.

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

5 backers
Limited (5 left of 10)

PARTY PACK - choose a personalized leather sandal for yourself, and any 5 other sandals from our line to give away to friends or family. Your choice. Don't let them say you never gave them anything. Got 6 friends? Good for you. We'll work with you.

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Pledge $750 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

HITCHIN' POST PACK - Be the Maid of Honor or Best Man of all time. Outfit your entire wedding party with customized Vere sandals. We'll work with you to get whatever message you need for everyone in the party. Within reason - I mean, how many people are seriously in this wedding???

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Pledge $2,000 or more

1 backer
All gone!

We'll work with one of our surfboard shaper partners to custom build a brand new surfboard for you. The final board will be built to your specifications, and include your name, the Vere logo, and the signature of the shaper along the stringer.. PLUS, a pair of customized Vere sandals of your choice.

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

0 backers
Limited (2 left of 2)

FINGER LAKES SANDALMAKING / WINETASTING WEEKEND - Two round trip tickets (domestic only), two nights luxury accommodations, one day limo tour of Seneca Lake wineries, plus two dinners with John and Mike along the lake. PLUS - lest we forget - a personal tour of the factory, and two pair of sandals made just for you (by you, if you want) at the factory. We'll throw in the coveralls if you want 'em too.

You selected

Pledge $10,000

0 backers
Limited (1 left of 1)

VANITY PACKAGE - Feeling good about your name? Think you can hang with Don, Betty, Josie and the crew? Prove it. We'll name our next sandal after you, make an (appropriately) big deal about it, and make sure you and your friends get the first 10 pair off the line. And to tide you over, we'll hook you up with 10 pair from our current line. Customized, of course. Okay, you drive a hard bargain: the coveralls too.

Funding period

Jan 3, 2011 - Mar 1, 2011
(57 days)

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